Personal Essay Incubator: 10-Week Memoir Mentorship
Six writers work one-one-one with Narratively executive editor Jesse Sposato to learn the essentials of how to craft first-person pieces that get published and noticed.
This class is now sold out, but we will offer a new session as soon as there are enough students on the advance wait list. If you’re interested in taking this class, join the wait list and we’ll let you know as soon as we’re able to offer a new session.
Cost: $875 $700
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Class Size Limit: 6
This intensive 10-week program is a unique opportunity for just six writers to work directly with Narratively executive editor Jesse Sposato in a small group setting this fall, with biweekly classes and close editorial guidance. In addition to editing Narratively’s Memoir section and overseeing our Memoir Prize, Jesse’s own essays have appeared in Vanity Fair, InStyle, Shondaland, HuffPost, Gloria, Memoir Land and many other publications, and she has a comprehensive understanding of the personal essay marketplace. This hybrid class / mentorship model is designed for writers who want in-depth personalized feedback on their ideas and drafts, and are ready to break through and get their own personal essays published.
Over the course of the 10 weeks, you’ll learn the essentials of how to craft first-person pieces that resonate with editors and readers; develop an in-depth understanding of the personal essay marketplace; and learn how to refine your own work and polish it for publication.
The incubator includes 4 biweekly group sessions held on Wednesdays — Oct. 1, Oct. 15, Oct. 29 and Nov. 12 — all from 12pm to 1pm ET.
In the first class session, each writer will pitch two to three personal essay ideas and receive feedback from the instructor, with guidance on which essay ideas might work for what publications. Next, each writer will submit a draft of up to 2,500 words and receive in-depth personalized feedback from the instructor, then workshop the piece in subsequent class sessions with your peers.
Throughout the course, there will be reading assignments and craft exercises designed to help you zero in on what makes a personal essay resonate. We’ll closely examine examples of specific personal essays that have worked exceptionally well; discuss how to identify what elements of your own life will make for the most compelling stories; and dive into the intricacies of how to pitch and submit these essays to publications. After the final class session on Nov. 12, each writer will have an additional opportunity to put all these tools into action by writing and submitting a draft of a second essay for in-depth feedback from the instructor.
By the end of the class, you’ll have two polished personal essays, a comprehensive understanding of how the editing process can improve a piece, and all the tools to continue writing and publishing dynamic first-person pieces.
This class is right for you if…
You’ve started writing personal essays and want guidance about how to craft them in a way that will resonate with editors and readers.
You have essay ideas but you’re unsure of how to pitch them, or you’ve been pitching but would like to improve your success rate.
After this class you’ll have…
Two polished personal essays ready to submit to specific publications, plus concrete plans for writing and submitting your next personal essays.
A solid understanding of how to craft a pitch, and of the opportunities available to place personal essays.
Your Instructor: Narratively executive editor Jesse Sposato is a longtime journalist, essayist and editor living in the Catskills. Her writing has appeared on Vanity Fair, InStyle, Shondaland, HuffPost, Gloria, Memoir Land and many other publications. At Narratively, she spearheaded our recent 4-series collaboration with Creative Nonfiction, and edits many of the stories appearing in our Memoir, Deep Dives and Secret Lives sections. Prior to joining Narratively, Jesse was a regular contributor to Refinery29 and wrote Urban Campers, a series about people living in RVs in NYC, for New York Magazine’s Bedford + Bowery for over two years. She also co-founded Sadie Magazine, an online counterculture publication, which she edited for six years. Jesse received an MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia University, and has been awarded residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and Vermont Studio Center. She particularly likes to write and edit stories about social issues, feminism, health and wellness, culture, and friendship, and is working on a collection of essays about coming of age in the suburbs and being boy crazy.
“Jesse is amazing. Her technical skills and instincts are obvious, but her ability to push writers to dig deeper when needed is what really sets her apart from other editors.” —Jared Bilski
“Imagine having a top-notch editor, a wise therapist and a fairy godmother all rolled into one: That's what working with Jesse is like. Her insight and patience are unparalleled. I'm so grateful I got the chance to work with her, and would do it again in a heartbeat.” —Elizabeth Laura Nelson
Registration Details: Seats in this class are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Cancellation Policy:
Full refund when canceling 7 or more days before the class start date.
50% refund when canceling less than 7 days before the class start date.
No cancellations after the class start date.
Questions? Email us at academy@narratively.com.
MORE: Check out all of our upcoming Narratively Academy classes here.